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Who does Hong Kong rely on?

The largest supplier of Hong Kong in 2024 is China, with 40.6% of what Hong Kong buys. Its share was 45.7% in 2019 and 33.3% in 1995. 517 of the 999 products Hong Kong buys for more than $1 million have a supplier selling more than 50% of what Hong Kong buys of that product; in 220, more than 75%. In those products, purchases from each one’s dominant supplier add up to 20.9% of what Hong Kong buys.

Summary

Largest supplier: China
40.6%
Concentration (HHI)
1,927
Products with a supplier above 50%
517
Products with a supplier above 75%
220

Concentration index (HHI): 1,927 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting purchases among 5 suppliers of the same size

Trend

Trend in shares

Japan went from 14.4% to 5.1% of what Hong Kong buys

Share (%)

  • China 40.6%
  • Taiwan 10.2%
  • Singapore 7.6%
  • South Korea 5.4%
  • Japan 5.1%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest supplierShare
1995China33.3%
1996China33.3%
1997China33.6%
1998China36.1%
1999China39%
2000China37.8%
2001China38.7%
2002China40.5%
2003China40%
2004China40.1%
2005China42.5%
2006China43.4%
2007China43.6%
2008China44.6%
2009China45.4%
2010China44.5%
2011China42.5%
2012China45.8%
2013China43.2%
2014China44.7%
2015China47.4%
2016China45.7%
2017China41.7%
2018China43.7%
2019China45.7%
2020China43.6%
2021China44.2%
2022China40.6%
2023China39.9%
2024China40.6%

Its suppliers

  1. China$277 billion · 40.6%
  2. Taiwan$69.6 billion · 10.2%
  3. Singapore$51.6 billion · 7.6%
  4. South Korea$36.6 billion · 5.4%
  5. Japan$34.9 billion · 5.1%
  6. United States$26.9 billion · 3.9%
  7. Malaysia$21.1 billion · 3.1%
  8. Vietnam$21 billion · 3.1%
  9. United Arab Emirates$19.7 billion · 2.9%
  10. Switzerland$13.1 billion · 1.9%

Some of these goods may have been produced in another country: countries record origin in different ways.

Products with a dominant supplier

Of the 999 products Hong Kong buys for more than $1 million in 2024, these are the highest-value ones with a dominant supplier.

ProductSupplierShareSecondValue
Cameras and broadcast equipmentChina69.9%United States · 7%$62.8 billion
Computer and office machine partsChina55.9%South Korea · 9.9%$27.2 billion
Diodes, transistors and solar cellsChina55.5%Singapore · 10.2%$16.1 billion
Phones and telecom equipmentChina70.7%Vietnam · 5.6%$8 billion
Printed circuit boardsChina80.9%over 75%Japan · 6.6%$7.9 billion
Low-voltage switches and connectorsChina59.6%Japan · 15.1%$6.1 billion
Transformers and power suppliesChina70.2%Japan · 6%$6 billion
SilverChina77.1%over 75%South Korea · 9.8%$4 billion
Cables and wireChina70.6%United Arab Emirates · 4.3%$3 billion
Other plastic articlesChina71.6%United States · 8%$2.6 billion
BatteriesChina79.3%over 75%Malaysia · 5.9%$2.5 billion
Natural gas and LPGChina83.5%over 75%Qatar · 8.9%$2.5 billion
Printers and printing machinesChina56.5%Japan · 16.4%$2 billion
Steel barsMalaysia61.3%China · 25.7%$1.7 billion
Microphones and speakersChina68.5%Malaysia · 6.9%$1.7 billion
Other electrical devicesChina66.6%Japan · 7.1%$1.3 billion
ResistorsChina55.9%Taiwan · 11.2%$1.3 billion
Women's suits and dressesChina59.4%Italy · 11.8%$1.3 billion
Eyeglasses and sunglassesChina76.7%over 75%Italy · 13.6%$1.3 billion
Sweaters and pulloversChina56.8%Italy · 14.4%$1.1 billion
Live horses, donkeys and mulesChina83.6%over 75%Australia · 10.3%$1.1 billion
T-shirtsChina51.3%Italy · 14.8%$924 million
Women's knitted suits and dressesChina80%over 75%Italy · 4.4%$882 million
Electric motors and generatorsChina55.4%Philippines · 18.7%$866 million
ElectricityChina99.9%over 75%Thailand · 0.08%$866 million

and 492 more

A product has a dominant supplier when a single country sells more than 50% of what is bought of it; we flag it separately above 75%.

Countries that sell more than 50% of some product; the darker, the higher the value of those products.

Selling: who it relies on

Largest customer: China
22.1%
Concentration (HHI)
908

Concentration index (HHI): 908 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting sales among 11 customers of the same size

Trend in shares

Vietnam went from 0.85% to 13.7% of what Hong Kong sells

Share (%)

  • China 22.1%
  • Vietnam 13.7%
  • United Arab Emirates 10.1%
  • Thailand 4.7%
  • Switzerland 4.2%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest customerShare
1995China21.1%
1996China17.4%
1997China17.7%
1998United States19.2%
1999United States17.5%
2000China19.4%
2001China24.6%
2002China26.2%
2003China22.9%
2004China21.8%
2005China21.4%
2006China18.9%
2007China20.9%
2008China22.3%
2009China20.9%
2010China23.7%
2011China33.3%
2012China46.7%
2013China55.1%
2014China44.9%
2015China23.1%
2016China22.8%
2017China14.7%
2018China16.1%
2019China18%
2020China18.6%
2021China24.3%
2022China22.6%
2023China25.9%
2024China22.1%

306 of the 854 products Hong Kong sells for more than $1 million have a customer buying more than 50% of what Hong Kong sells of that product; in 120, more than 75%. In those products, sales to each one’s dominant customer add up to 19.8% of what Hong Kong sells.

ProductCustomerShareSecondValue
MicrochipsVietnam66.8%South Korea · 8.3%$12.4 billion
Turbojets and gas turbinesChina58.2%Singapore · 6%$11.2 billion
Stone fruit (cherries, peaches, plums)China99.5%over 75%Singapore · 0.34%$1.3 billion
Other precious metal articlesUnited States98.9%over 75%Thailand · 0.44%$1.2 billion
Precious metal scrapUnited Arab Emirates51.7%Switzerland · 26.4%$1 billion
Parts for broadcast equipmentVietnam60.9%United States · 9.3%$875 million
Printers and printing machinesVietnam73.2%China · 5.6%$827 million
Medicines in measured doses or retail packsChina79%over 75%Macao · 10.7%$795 million
CapacitorsVietnam55.2%Taiwan · 11%$695 million
Drawn and blown sheet glassChina99.3%over 75%Vietnam · 0.35%$657 million
Synthetic gemstonesIndia66.9%United Arab Emirates · 18.7%$606 million
Other food preparationsChina86.5%over 75%South Korea · 3.4%$451 million
Edible offalVietnam68.3%Taiwan · 17.2%$445 million
Other fresh fruit (berries, kiwi)China96.6%over 75%Macao · 3.3%$394 million
Powdered and condensed milkChina68.8%Macao · 29%$378 million

and 291 more

Concentration compared

The closest countries in the concentration ranking (HHI, highest first).

RankCountryHHI
59American Samoa1,977
60Jamaica1,955
61Hong Kong1,927
62Zimbabwe1,902
63Sierra Leone1,887
64Afghanistan1,838

Sources and method

Sources and licenses

Methodology

The data come from CEPII BACI (Etalab 2.0 licence), which reconciles what the exporting and the importing country report, in current USD, FOB. Data up to 2024.

Dependence is the share of a country’s imports (or exports) that each partner accounts for. It does not measure whether a product has a substitute or how much it would cost to change supplier.

The concentration index (HHI) adds up the square of each partner’s share, in percent: it runs from 0 to 10,000. Its equivalent is 10,000 ÷ HHI, the number of partners of the same size that would give that value.

Products are HS4 headings of the 1992 nomenclature (some combine different goods), with a floor of $1 million per product and country.

The EU is the 27 current members in every year; the United Kingdom is outside the EU throughout the series.

Re-exports: countries that act as redistribution hubs carry their notice and the figures are not corrected.